Take the Plunge
by PrincessVictory
Summary: She decided she couldn't live an artificial life anymore. He was just in the right place at the right time. He was there to save her, or go down with her: the fine line dangling between life and death. Rin/Len. Based loosely on Rin's song "Meltdown."


"Rin-chan, what are you doing up here?"

I swerved to face the oh-so-familiar voice that melded so perfectly with mine.

He was the harmony to my melody.

"Uh, just checking out the view, Len-kun! Look over there!" I exclaimed, pointing at the majestic Rocky Mountains that gave this national forest its name.

"It really is gorgeous, Rin-chan," he agreed, but quickly countered with, "so why don't you tell me what you're really doing up here?"

He was always the voice of reason to my guilty conscience.

Sometimes I felt like he knew me better than I knew myself.

But I couldn't let him know. Not today. If he knew what was really going on, it'd crush him.

"Len-kun, there's nothing else. I swear," I answered hesitantly, stepping slowly away from the ledge that almost promised escape.

Why did I have to be such a chicken without him beside me?

Len-kun raised an eyebrow, unconvinced despite my reassurances. "Rin-chan, tell me the truth," he said, making his way toward me. "Were you about to jump off that cliff?"

Was I really that obvious?

"Len-kun, please try to understand-"

"Try to understand what, Rin?" he bit back acidly, much harsher than I expected. "That you're throwing your life away?"

"What life, Len-kun? We don't even... We're not even real people, Len-kun! We're nothing but empty shells, used for nothing more than entertainment by the humans that created us! I don't even have a heart... What good is life without the one thing that's supposed to birth it?" By that point I was in tears, if that was even possible for an electronic voice system such as myself.

Len-kun seemed stunned by my reply, but was quick to offer a comforting hand.

He was always the solace to my distress.

His expression softened as he whispered, "But of course you have a heart, Rin-chan. At least, I know I do."

I sniffled. "And what makes you think that?"

"Because," he answered, "you have to have a heart to love someone. And I love you."

He was always the stitches that held together my broken pieces.

"B-but that's impossible! How do you even know what love is?" I demanded, glaring up into his big blue eyes, so much like my own.

"Well, we sing about it often enough. Plus, who else could ever take the place of my other half? No one could ever be you better than you, and that's what you are to me."

He was always the light when I was shrouded in darkness.

"But... Len-kun..."

"I love you, Rin-chan. Why won't you just... stay alive for me, as selfish as that sounds?"

"I wish I could, Len-kun, but... I can't stay here, Len-kun. I don't belong. _We_ don't belong," I answered softly as he wrapped his arms tightly around me.

"Rin-chan, don't say that. As long as we're together, we'll always have a place in this world. Whether we're laughing, crying, playing, or fighting, as long as our gears keep turning, we'll go on singing."

He was always the hope when I was deep in despair.

"Len-kun, you should know better than anyone why I feel this way. You've seen the way _they _treat us. They know we're different. They _know_ we shouldn't exist. Sometimes I think they get a sick sense of enjoyment out of toying with us. 'Oh, look, Mommy, her arm pops off!' Or better yet 'Daddy, why won't he dance for me?!' and then proceeding to lash out at you, even though you'd been temporarily switched off for maintenance. I'm so tired of _watching _them tear us apart!"

Len-kun frowned, and I swear I saw a tear slip down his cheek before he answered with, "Be that as it may, what about the others? Luka... Kaito... Miku... Meiko: don't you think they'll miss you?"

He was always the clarity to my obscurity.

"I'm sure they will, Len-kun, but I've got to do what's best for me," I told him, glancing over at the ledge, once again unsure about what exactly _was_ best for me.

Why do I have to have so many doubts and misgivings?

Better yet, why couldn't I just be normal, with a pair of living, breathing lungs and a living, beating heart?

I'd give anything for that chance. Even my life, right here.

I clutched my treble clef necklace, the one Len-kun gave me after our first live performance together.

What on earth should I do?

"Len-kun? Don't you ever wonder why we we're created this way, why we couldn't be born flesh and blood rather than titanium and circuits?"

"Sure, I wonder, but I try not to let it bother me. I was created special, handpicked just like you, Rin-chan."

He was always the optimism to my pessimism.

I snorted. "Hand-picked? We were no more hand-picked than the rest of the Vocaloids. They weren't sure how we'd turn out. Our personalities, our emotions, our mental capacity: none of that was certain! All they could do was wire us together and hope for the best."

It wasn't like they cared much about us behind the scenes.

"Then I guess I have no choice." He let go of me long enough to right himself, and then reached out his hand for me to take.

I nervously walked with him toward the edge of the cliff, baffled and amazed by the boy I'd been created with.

He was always the bravery to my timidness.

"If you're going to jump, Rin-chan, then by all means, go ahead. But I'm jumping with you."

My eyes widened in surprise at his response. "Len-kun! What makes you think for one second I'd let you-"

"I'm letting you jump, aren't I?" he softly retorted. "So I should be allowed the same freedom."

I had to admit, he had a point. "But Len-kun, what about the rest of your life?" I asked, even though I knew the answer already.

"What life, Rin-chan? I have no life without you. You're the other part of me: my perfect soulmate. We were created to be a team, and so we'll die together as a team, whether it's right now or a hundred years into the future when the humans decide they've no need for us outmodes anymore. You are my best friend, my sister, and my lover. There is no future for me without you."

I smiled at Len-kun's sweet words.

He was always the sunshine to my rainy days.

"So, are you ready or not?" he asked, smiling softly at me.

I nodded. "I'm ready, Len-kun."

"Then on the count of three. One... two... three!"

He was always my twin soul, the one who completed me better than anyone else could.

And I truly loved him for it.

* * *

**A/N: My take on Rin's amazing song "Meltdown"! I hope you enjoyed, and feel free to leave a review!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Rin or Len, or any Vocaloid for that matter. But I do own the Hatsune Miku doll and Rin/Len scroll that inspired this.:D**


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